Loosening The Grip

Falling water has a charm to it. And from wherever it may fall, it is a sight to behold. Rain is essentially falling water. Its sound attracts the most or perhaps the feel of its droplets softly pricking our body does, if we are willing to let it touch us and are not umbrella-protected.

Having lived in a city all of my life up till now, I have had a certain perspective of rain. For me, it has always been a harbinger of joy first, and water afterwards. The sound of it falling, its touch and slip on and off the body, the puddles it leaves behind; for me, joy in short. What it effectively does is, through its intensity it pares down everything else, and forces us to listen to only one thing, itself. That brings peace to city-people, for instead of constantly being bombarded with lots of sound, as in their usual days, a singular sound echoes when it rains. In short, rain frees them metaphysically, even if it might bind them physically.

With places, people change. And with people, perspectives change. And ours might also change if we are receptive enough. It rained for the whole day yesterday. I couldn’t help but be overjoyed. And when I am overjoyed, I state it as well. I was working on the fruit processing unit at Ramgarh with my colleagues belonging to the local area. As the rain’s intensity increased, I shared my enthusiasm with one of them. Reciprocation didn’t happen. He rather had a different emotion to share. Despair. He shared that if it keeps on raining like it was, which it is still now, the seasonal potatoes they had sowed wouldn’t survive, and they’d lose the opportunity to make some more money, however little but important anyways.

It sounds cliche I know. Everybody knows that crops get destroyed when it rains heavily. Even I have read about it. But the point is that why didn’t I remember that here? That’s what I asked myself. I perhaps have brought an umbrella along with me. An umbrella of perception shielding myself from the rain of a different perspective. Until forced onto me, I am unable to infer others’ perspective. I hold the umbrella quite firmly perhaps. For things to get better, either the wind will have to take the umbrella or I will have to throw it away. I loosened my grip a little on the umbrella yesterday. I hope I lose it by the year’s end.